The ITB Berlin 2015 – one of the most important travel and trade shows worldwide - is taking place on March 4 – 8, with more than 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries and regions presenting their products and services in the 26 display halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. Over 100,000 trade visitors are expected to attend.

Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura will visit Berlin on the occasion and meet with representatives of important tour operators, promoting Greece as a year-round destination. Today, the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) and Marketing Greece are holding a press conference at the International Convention Centre of ITB Berlin.

According to Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, which recently released (in Greek) data on Greek summer holiday pre-bookings by German travelers, Greece has not only made it to their top 10 favorite destinations, it even ranks in the top 5 destinations (in German). Furthermore, German Travel Association (DRV) President Norbert Fiebig says: “There’s no indication that Germans are less inclined to travel to Greece due to the new political situation there.” Feibig referred to a 10% increase in pre-booking vacation packages to Greece, compared to the same period in 2014.

See also Greek News Agenda: UNWTO Tourism in Greece on the Rise; EU Reporter: Greece 5th Best Holiday Preference for Germans

Acclaimed art collector Ion Vorres passed away on February 27 at the age of 91. A native of Messinia (South Peloponnese), Vorres moved to Canada where he studied, worked and promoted Greek heritage, gaining Canadian citizenship. His life’s achievement was the Vorres Museum of Folk and Contemporary Art that he opened in Athens in 1983, a complex of buildings and gardens, as well as a collection of 6,000 items of historic and artistic value, all part of the Museum which the Vorres family donated to the Greek state as a cultural foundation.

Vorres collected contemporary art, furniture, artefacts, textiles and historic objects from around Greece so as to preserve cultural heritage. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2009 and bestowed the Greek title of Grand Commander of the Order of Honor in 2014. Farewell, Ion Vorres.

A Greek team from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was among four university student groups that were selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop and implement supergravity experiments. The experiments will be carried out under the sixth Spin Your Thesis! programme that will be held from September 7 to 18 at the Large Diameter Centrifuge located in the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Nordvik, the Netherlands.

The Greek team consists of three PhD students from the University, studying predictive microbiology and food processing. The students will study how microorganisms are affected by exposure to supergravity and thermal stress.

TV channel CNN compiled a list with the 11 top food museums in the world. Among them, the Museum of Olive Oil Production, on Lesvos island, Greece, focuses on how Greece's olive oil industry was transformed by the introduction of machinery.

The museum, which is located at the village of Agia Paraskevi, is housed inside a beautiful stone building, where visitors have the opportunity to learn about everything on mass cultivation of olive trees, as well as about the machinery used to crush olive pulp and separate the oil from water.

One of the most interesting parts of the exhibition is that which explains the science behind the acidity test that checks the quality of olive oil.

More: Greek News Agenda - Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Vranas & Lesvos Deli

West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece and all of the region’s cities have a trademark food product with Protected Designation of Origin. Florina is known for its red peppers, Kozani for its saffron and Kastoria for its beans. Returning to the roots of Greek cuisine, and with a focus on Mediterranean diet, the Vassiliadis family decided to settle in Western Macedonia and start its own business of local deli products, called Roots. 

Their sweet red pepper pastes received prizes at the 2014 Great Taste Awards in the UK. "We use traditional and family recipes with raw materials grown in our region, always respecting local quality principles," say the owners.

The award-winning products are now on display at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair at Olympia, London.